About Big Grove Tavern

We celebrate the true sense of the word "tavern". As the heart and soul of the community, our tavern is a warm and welcoming place bringing together visitors and locals alike. Our mission is to provide a warm and welcoming environment that allows us to treat our guests like family while also supporting our community partners. Big Grove is a classic tavern with modern flair. Join us for lunch, dinner and weekend brunches. With Champaign's best cocktails, great wine selection and wide variety of local craft beers, you'll be sure to find something right up your alley. Whether you are from the area or visiting from far away, we welcome all like family at Big Grove Tavern.

Parking Details:We are conveniently located across from the Hill Street Parking Deck, where we validate parking for 2 hours. The parking deck is located in the center of downtown Champaign and accommodates up to 600 vehicles. You may access the parking deck from Hill Street or Randolph Street.

Private Party Facilities:At Big Grove Tavern, we offer private dining for your convenience. We have three private dining rooms available which can accommodate small intimate dinners or events of up to 100 guests. A buy-out of the entire restaurant is available for larger groups. Our private dining coordinator will help you plan events ranging from business/pharmaceutical meetings, bridal showers and rehearsal dinners, baby showers, or birthday and anniversary celebrations.

Depending on the number of guests attending your event, banquets are presented cocktail style, family style or buffet style. Visit our website to submit a private dining inquiry- http://www.biggrovetavern.com/Private-Dining

Busy night as it was Valentine’s Day. All service staff were wonderful and so kind even though they were swamped. The manager Daniel stopped by and our server Tracy checked in just the right amount. We look forward to coming back soon.

Sunday Brunch was very disappointing. While our party enjoyed the service and the atmosphere, the food was very underwhelming. One of us had a standard breakfast and that meal was good. My wife and I tried a Mexican themed brunch entree that was very much below average. I might go back for drinks, but I will need to see some changes in menu before I would eat there again.

Having reservations, two of us were seated promptly, another of our small group joined us soon thereafter. We enjoyed a very tasty breakfast. Cream was not immediately offered with the coffee - that was the only service flaw, so overall very good service. I do enjoy Big Grove and have been there many times prior to this review. Highly recommended!

Food mediocre at best. Prime Rib chewy and lots of gristle, the mediumrare seared tuna not even close to cooked correctly. So loud our waitress had to scream the specials at our table. Was looking forward to relaxed enjoyable Friday night after a long week at work. Long time until I try again. Not impressed.

The menu is very unique and the food was delicious. We waited nearly an hour for our food even though it wasn't very busy. Our waiter checked in regularly so I think it was truly the kitchen that was behind.

We are giving Big Grove a 2 on food because we had a (rare) unpleasant experience on our recent visit. My husband ordered the "Catch of the Day," which happened to be trout (which he loves) and I ordered fish tacos. When our meal was delivered to us, I thought it odd that the Manager came over with the server. He said to my husband, "I hope it's ok with you but the kitchen ran out of trout so they prepared tuna for you." Well, it wasn't ok at all. Husband doesn't care for tuna even a little bit. Why wouldn't they have let us know ahead of time that they were out of the trout and allowed my husband to make another choice. The way they handled it, he had to send it back and order another entree. All the while, my fish tacos sat in front of me getting cold. I didn't want to eat until husband had his food but he kept insisting that I go ahead. I finally did and the fish tacos were bland and tasteless; not at all what I expected. His entree (a pasta dish) came out when I was almost finished eating and it was very good. However, the experience was way below par and we left extremely disappointed.

Tags: People Watching, Casual, Great for Outdoor Dining, Handcrafted Cocktails

We were the last table of the day, Christmas Eve, and the snow was really coming down. Though we were the only ones left, they did not hurry us at all, but everyone remained super-friendly, patient with our indecisiveness and they kept the kitchen open until we had everything we wanted. They made all the dishes and drinks we asked for, including a key lime brulee at the end of our meal. My father loved his steak (medium), and I consider him a picky eater. My avocado toast was fresh and balanced in flavors. My son ordered the gumbo dish and did not leave anything behind. We had great food and wonderful service. The holiday music was tasteful, not obnoxious. We will definitely return, with or without a holiday.

Tags: Fun, Good for Groups, Special Occasion, Neighborhood Gem, People Watching, Fit for Foodies, Great for Brunch, Local Ingredients, Bar Seating, Healthy, Comfort Food, Casual, Great for Lunch, Creative Cuisine

I love Big Grove. It's a gem of restaurant that consistently serves delicious, often interesting, food in a town not known to do either. The portions are more than ample, the wine list is reliable and the service is always efficient and pleasant. But it's the food quality and welcoming atmosphere that brings us back again and again. The people at Big Grove care about what they do and the restaurant experience reflects it. That, to me, is an unsung part of what makes going to restaurants special. It's getting harder and harder to find, though, as every business person and their cousin jumps on the restaurant bandwagon. Yet BGT continues to please and impress every time we go.

Spectacular service! Our table was ready and waiting for us upon arrival and our server was extremely polite and prompt. The menu offered so many delicious choices and the atmosphere was sophisticated and chic but comfortable to almost any taste. We were there for a business meeting but I will certainly return for the next brunch or date night.

Tags: Creative Cuisine, Fit for Foodies, Great for Lunch, Local Ingredients

The waitress was a little awkward but nothing too bad. The restaurant was strange because it was huge but there weren’t that many people there, made us feel out of place. Really good buffalo chicken appetizers and overall food was good.

Neighborhood standard, but slipping a little. This restaurant is a neighborhood standard, with healthy farm-to-table approach to their cuisine. But the skill level and creativity vary over time. This particular trip was one of those times when the skill wasn't so obviously strong. The gnocchi in particular were not up to standard - much better gnocchi could be had across the street, for example. The service is good, the ambiance is very pleasant, and there's nothing showy about the experience. Still, it's a disappointment compared to some earlier times I've been at the restaurant, where I felt the influence of California cuisine was strong. Maybe they've changed chefs, or maybe they just don't care that much anymore? Certainly there are more interesting places to eat locally. Unfortunate.

Food was great, and our server was awesome, handled a special bday request that we had. However, everything took longer than it should have (order taking, getting our food). This was NOT our server's fault. She was literally the ONLY one working the tables in the entire restaurant. For a busy Saturday night, on Dad's weekend, one server, really?? It's too bad because the food itself really was great.

Took my wife here on a date and it was terrific. The food was great, and an outstanding value for the price. Only negative was that it was very busy and the cocktails took a very long time between when we ordered them and when they were brought to our table. Service was great though, just one of the drawbacks of being at a crowded restaurant!

Accommodating server who handled our multiple checks and need to get to a theater performance like a pro. The menu had something for everybody, from our teens who wanted a sandwich to our vegetarian with risotto to the steak-lovers among us.

Tags: Local Ingredients, Fun, Pre/post Theatre, Good for Groups, Fit for Foodies

The food tasted quite ordinary. The grilled salmon was dry. The salad did not have enough dressing or goat cheese in it. Most problematic was the arrival of the appetizer and the entre at the table at the same time. What kind of service is that?

Great menu with many healthy, organic options. Many of the options are farm-to-table. We were there for brunch and they offered a lot of traditional and also unique healthy brunch entres. Our food was very good.

Always tasty and out of the ordinary. Always great service. I had the crabmeat benedict and it was divine. Salad was simple greens with perfect dressing. A bit pricey, but sure do love the food and coffee here. Keeps me coming back when I come to Champaign.

Food was outstanding and creative, and the prime rib was prepared with the careful attention it deserved.. Worth trying for sure. The service was some of the least attentive and disappointing I can remember I can remember. Maybe the server was having a bad night.

Ordered the Prime Rib medium rare which was the most expensive thing on the menu and their special for the day. They first brought me a ribeye steak and then sent it back because it was not what I ordered. I waited for about 15 minutes (everyone else at my table was almost done eating by then) and they brought out my Prime Rib finially. When I cut into it it was not even close to medium rare. The steak had zero blood and was cooked well done. Totally not what I ordered

Seated promptly but had to wait 20 minutes for a server to help our table. That was AFTER I made a comment to the host. wife finished her meal before she was offered a coffee refill. Food was good though.

Please sign in to record your input. Thanks!

Report this review as inappropriate?

If you believe this review should be removed from OpenTable, please let us know and someone will investigate.

What are premium access reservations?

We teamed up with popular restaurants to save you a spot when the house is filled. Redeem OpenTable Dining Points for in-demand tables, set aside for you.

How can I earn points?

You can earn points when you book and dine using the OpenTable app or OpenTable.com. Standard qualifying reservations are worth 100 points, and specially marked reservations are worth up to 1,000 points–10x the regular amount of points!